Ordinary-looking house on market for first time in 65 years hides incredible 1930s interior
AN ordinary-looking house on the market for the first time in 65 years hides an incredible interior.
The perfectly preserved property is like stepping back in time to the 1930s – but it comes with a very 2021 price tag.
It has just gone on sale for the first time since 1956 with a cool asking price of £1.75m.
But its interior is a treasure trove for period home lovers, with 1930’s radiators, original Crittall windows and an original kitchen.
It boasts three reception rooms, two toilets, five bedrooms and a garage.
And sellers Hamptons suggest that two reception rooms could be knocked into one to create a 40ft “ballroom”.
The house also comes with a large garden, iron staircase, ‘sunspan’ curved windows in the living room, roof terrace, original hardwood flooring, and 1930’s tiled bathroom.
The pad is one of just a handful of homes designed by 30s design duo Kemp & Tasker, who are perhaps best known for their cinemas.
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In 1934, a Kemp and Tasker house design won the Daily Mail’s Ideal House Competition and was erected temporarily at Olympia in the ‘Village of Tomorrow’ at the Ideal Home Show the following year.
The builders, Bromley-based Messrs Morrell Bros. Builders, advertised that the home could be built to order anywhere, but only three known examples exist – in Dublin, Hayes in Kent, and this one at Dorchester Drive, Herne Hill, south London.
Its particulars read: “Owned by the same family since 1956, this house now provides the opportunity for a buyer to breathe new life into a well-loved family home to create something really special in terms of style and space.
“It has wonderful features such as curved doors, original hardwood flooring (beneath existing carpets), original Crittall windows, the fabulous ‘sunspan’ curved window in the lounge, grand iron staircase and original tiled bathroom.
“There is a wraparound garden and off-street parking on both sides.
“The original sales brochure described the ground floor as having the option of combining the two reception rooms with the hall to create a forty ft ballroom.
“Its beautiful wooden floor, believed to be maple, also extends into the study which has full-length window views over the garden.
“The roof is a perfect spot to enjoy the sun and the views over London.
“There is an additional room on the roof, not shown on the floor plan, housing the water tank and providing useful extra storage space.”
